Last Daughter of Earth
by writer writing
Summary: It is the Superman story in reverse. It is Lois living on Krypton because Earth was destroyed.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This may seem more like general Superman but it will end up strongly Smallville.

"Lois, it's time for school! Get up!"

Lois groaned and opened her eyes. Why couldn't she sleep? Who needed school?

She got out of bed and walked for the kitchen table, feeling the area around her vibrate.

She grumpily sat down at the table and the robot brought her breakfast. Her parents were in the other room. No doubt they had already eaten. The flowers at the table began to sing. They were left over from the company her parents had to supper last night. It was common Kryptonian courtesy to have singing flowers to serenade your guests with. It was a courtesy that she could live without, as she reached out to crush them.

"Lois Mas-La! Let the flowers die naturally!"

"Good morning to you too, Mom."

"Good morning, dear. Are you looking forward to school?" her mom asked, as she sat down at the table with her, causing her mom's blonde curls to bounce.

"You know what today is. It's Day of Truth and all the kids will ask me questions designed to poke fun at me and my life. Why couldn't they have a day to lie to people? I'll have to answer any and all questions truthfully, no matter what."

"Is that so bad? I think you have a wonderful story. I was so happy when we found you. Despite all the advanced technology in the world, we still weren't able to have a kid. Then we got you. You were so cute and you had a little bracelet with the name Lois on it."

"Yeah, the name of a freak and an alien from a primitive planet."

"You are a scientific miracle. When you first got here, we weren't even sure if you could survive. You couldn't see or hear but look at all the breakthroughs there has been! The only thing wrong with you now is the sun keeps your 18-year-old body extremely heavy and weighed down but we're still hoping that science will fix it one day. Lots of people are working on it."

"Yeah and that keeps me in the public eye and reminds everyone just how different I really am. Can't I call in sick just this once?"

"Don't even joke about that. It's the Day of Truth. Besides, what person ever gets sick anymore other than the green death and for some reason scientists say you can't even get that."

"I hope I'll catch some minor illness one of these days. It might be possible for an alien."

"Lois, that's not like you to feel sorry for yourself!"

"I know. This day does it to me every time. I have to get to school."

Lois went outside and got on her airship. It was specially made to support her extra gravity.

"Here I go to school ready or not," Lois grumbled.

TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

"Tell me the truth, Lois. How many things have you broken today?" 

"Shut up, Mor-Am!"

"You have to tell me."

"Only two. Now why don't you go jump into the phantom zone where you belong and that's the truth."

"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or is that one of the things you broke?"

Lois stomped her foot, causing him to vibrate.

"Okay! I'm going!" Mor-Am shouted.

She got her art helmet out of the locker but before she could shut it, she heard, "Lois, wait for me!"

Lois rolled her eyes. It was one of only 2 people in school who didn't tease her and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why. His father was a famous scientist that wanted to study her. That's why he kept inviting her over to his house. It was the same reason why his little cousin, the second person, was nice to her.

"Kal-El, what do you want now?"

"Nothing, Lois. I just want to walk to art class with you. That's my elective this semester too"

"I didn't choose art. The school didn't think it was a good idea for me to take self defense. I could study it without being a hazard. It would just be for fun but they refused like they do every term. I'm glad this is the last term ever for me and then I'm free from school to do whatever."

"If I was in charge, I'd let you. Can I carry your helmet?"

"I am perfectly capable of carrying my own things. The only reason I'm letting you walk to class with me is because we both have to go to the same place."

Kal-El smiled and continued to walk beside her even though it caused him to vibrate a little. Everyone gave them plenty of room in the hallway.

Lois sighed when Kal-El sat in the desk beside her. He did that in every class they had together. At least it was better than having a jerk, who asked her embarrassing questions on the Day of Truth. Nobody dared to tease her when Kal-El or Kara Zor-El were around because they were popular and it made them mad to hear her teased. They were obviously trying their hardest to keep her happy and buttered up, so she would eventually feel grateful enough to come over. She wasn't going to fall for it.

"Hi, young ones! For those of you who don't know, I'm Sora Nal-Et. I absolutely love art. You'll find some of my art work in the Mind-Art Center. The first day of this class won't be too bad. I just want you to put on your helmets and create a stunning image to share and explain to the class. Start now!"

This red-headed woman was too excited about art. It was annoying. The way she dressed was outrageous. Her clothes were laced in gold. While gold had a certain prettiness about it, it was worthless. The Gold Volcano erupted gold out like crazy. She could've used a valuable metal like boradium but then she probably couldn't afford it on her salary.

"Do you need help, dear?" Sora asked.

She turned red. Everybody else had their helmet on, while she had been studying the teacher. It was true that she needed helmets that transmitted information at a slower pace because of her alien brain but she wasn't a complete idiot.

"No!"

Lois put her helmet on. She was mad. She knew the woman was only trying to be helpful but it wasn't as if she didn't already stick out like a sore thumb. She was way too mad to create a picture in her mind, so her subconscious took over. She took the helmet off without even looking at the image. She became angrier, when she saw that everyone had been waiting on her.

"Lois, would you like to go first?" the teacher said sweetly.

Lois grabbed her helmet and stalked to the front, causing everyone's desks to bounce. The kids were all laughing except for Kal-El and the teacher, who was visibly restraining herself.

Lois pushed the button on her helmet that projected her image on the wall.

It was a weird picture of the outdoors. The sun was yellow. The plants were even more unusual. The flower had a yellow center and white petals. The tree trunk was brown with green leaves. On the strange tree was a bird that had never been seen before. It was a bright red with a back mask and a strange creature that looked sort of like a dog with pointed ears looked up at it hungrily. What kind of things were hidden in her subconscious?

"That's interesting. Would you care to explain?" Sora asked.

"Uh…yeah. I don't really know what this is. I pulled it up from my subconscious."

"Art is about purposeful creation. I'm sorry but I can't give you a passing grade on this assignment. Furthermore, I find it disturbing that the bird is about to be eaten. You know birds are sacred and only die natural deaths. To think you would create something to kill it and eat it!"

"I think it's creative," Kal-El spoke up. "We should rethink what is familiar to us. Art is about exploring and expressing through the artist's eyes."

"Yeah, he's right!" Lois added. "What do you expect, when you're supposed to pull up great artwork in a second. If you had to put more thought and time into it and use the physical world, art might turn out better."

"I'm the art teacher here, you two! Art is about using technology and proven methods. The way science has taken over our culture, we're lucky to even have it in this form. Kal-El, since you're so knowledgeable about art, why don't you go next?"

Lois sat back down. She was glad this was the last class of the day.

Kal-El's image had two people in it and that was it. One of them was him and the other was the shadow of a woman.

Some of the males in the class whistled at the woman's outline. How immature could they be?

"That's interesting. Explain," said Sora.

Is that all she had to say?

"This is me, of course and this is the woman of my dreams--"

More whistles.

"She doesn't even know I exist and she won't let me make a complete picture of her by getting to know more about her. In the end though it doesn't matter because we only have arranged marriages. She will eventually be nothing but a shadow of the past and what might have been."

Kal-El was such a romantic. He should've been born on another world. Sora gave him a barely passing grade. Probably because he was challenging the rules of Krypton and because he had stuck up for her.

She didn't really pay attention to class after that. It was too boring and close to the end of the day.

When class got out, Kal-El caught up with her.

"Come study at my house. Kara's going to be there. We can have a little study group."

"Oh, yeah right! You know I would only slow you guys down."

"We would enjoy your company."

"It's the Day of Truth, remember?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"I'm sure you are. See you tomorrow, Kal-El."

"Bye, Lois!"

Lois shook her head, as if saying 'the nerve of some people' and headed for her airship.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

"What did you get for number four? I got 5, 463, 892, 461, 032, 458 but of course, that's just from doing the math in my head," said Kara.

"You are such a show-off," Kal-El responded, "you think because you got moved up to my math class you're a genius. I have news for you, cousin, you still have 3 years to complete and except for math, it won't be easy."

"You're just jealous!"

"Of what? My gifts just don't happen to be in math."

"Then where are they? If it weren't for Lois, you would have the worst math skills on the planet."

"Leave Lois out of this."

"It's true. I'm not mean enough to make fun of her because I was raised better than that but it is true. I heard that she couldn't even answer 1+1 when she was 3 years old."

"She can't help it. Kryptonian children have the technology to give them a little intelligence boost. Even though she had to repeat this year, it's amazing that she's come this far. She's the smartest person I know."

"Don't get so touchy. I think somebody has a crush."

"Grow up, Kara. You're 14!"

"You do, don't you? You have to tell me the truth. Look on the bright side, Val-Lor spoke out and a good thing happened. He made the people bond together and fight against the invading aliens, who were enslaving them That's why we celebrate. It might be a good thing to tell me the truth."

"Mom!"

Lara came in the room and asked, "are you children doing your homework? You two should have been brother and sister. Now what could you possibly be fighting about now?"

"Kal-El won't tell me the truth," Kara piped up.

"Kal-El!"

"It's about a girl, Mom. She's being too personal!"

"I'm sorry, dear but if she asked, you have to tell her."

Kal-El glared hard at his little cousin and said, "yes, I like her."

Kara laughed and asked, "do you like, like her? Do you love her?"

"Mom!"

"Sorry, sweetheart but there's nothing I can do."

"Yes. Are you happy?" he grumbled.

His mom looked interested now and asked, "what girl?"

"Not you too, Mom! It's Lois."

"The alien girl?" his mother asked.

"Yes! Now quit asking me questions, please!"

That's when his father came into the room and asked, "did somebody say something about the alien girl?"

"Yes, Dad. I go to school with her, remember?"

"And he's in love with her, Uncle Jor-El!" Kara laughed.

"Is that true, son?"

"Did I do anything to you all because if I did, I'm sorry," Kal-El pleaded.

"I hear about her in science circles. I have some friends that are working on her case. I've never thought about working on it myself but it might be fun at that. I'm not really working on anything important right now. Hey, do you think you could get her to come by the house?"

"Believe me, Dad, I've tried. She thinks I'm up to something."

"It doesn't really matter right now. I have to think about it and get some more information. You should get to know more about her, Kal-El and keep trying to get her to come over. Anything might help."

"Honey," his mother said, "I don't know if that's such a good idea, if he has feelings for her. He is betrothed to Zara."

"You're right. It's a shame parents can't figure out who their children will fall in love with instead of purely the practical side and once they've been made there's no going back. We were lucky," Jor-El said, as he kissed his wife on the cheek.

"I can handle it," Kal-El said," I won't let my feelings get in the way of a simple friendship and getting the information to help her."

"Are you sure?" his mother questioned suspiciously.

"I'm sure," he replied.  
---

It was the first class of the day, history but why wasn't Lois here?

Kal-El looked around.

"I want everyone's helmets on and I will begin to transmit the information on the Clone Wars."

Kal-El stood up.

"Can I help you?" the history teacher asked.

"I have to go," and he rushed off before the teacher could object.

Kal-El went outside to where all the vehicles were parked. He wanted to see if Lois' blue airship was there. It was.

He then spotted Lois aboard a Jor-El, getting ready to fly off. A Jor-El was something his father had invented. It covered every way of traveling you could think of from water to underground. Practically every family owned one. His father was a household name.

"Lois, what are you doing?" he called, running as fast as he could to get to her.

"What does it look like, science boy?"

"How did you get out of going to school?"

"I had my aunt request a day of learning."

"Then why are you acting suspiciously?"

"My parents are overprotective and think I should stay in the safety of school. Aunt Mora is more free spirited."

"You mean she lied for you."

"You could say that. I brought my airship as a decoy because my dad rides by here on his way to work. Aunt Mora left me her Jor-El to use. It's nicer than an airship and it's equipped for my extra weight. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"I'd tell you where I was going."

"I'm going to the Scarlet Jungle."

"Are you crazy! That place is dangerous."

"I've already made up my mind."

"Then let me go with you."

"I don't think so."

"I bet the school would love to hear about how you conned your way into a field trip."

"Are you blackmailing me, Kal-El?"

"I guess so."

She rolled her eyes but motioned for him to get in and he did.

"You do realize you are skipping school and that you are on your way to becoming a criminal?" she asked.

Kal-El didn't say anything. He was too alarmed, as they shot off at top speed.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Kal-El's eyes were bugged out, his knuckles were white from gripping his hands to the dashboard, and he was breathing heavily. 

"We're here. You didn't talk any," Lois said.

"Has anyone ever told you that you drive like a maniac?" he managed to get out.

"My dad told me that when he was teaching me to drive but no one else has ever ridden with me driving before."

"There's a darn good reason for that. If we'd been on the ground, you would've hit something."

"I've never hit anything. The air path to the jungle was completely clear, so what was the point of poking along? It's not like there's such a thing as a speed limit."

"There should be for people like you. And what did you mean I'm on my way to becoming a criminal?"

Lois released her belt, "relax, Kal-El! I was only playing with you. If you get caught, they'll only give you a warning. Now get out."

"You mean we're getting out of the Jor-El?"

"I didn't fly all the way here and then not get out and experience it."

"That's what they make the nature channel for. You put on the sensors and you can see it, hear it, feel it, smell it and taste it if you want but the best part is you can't die from it."

"All the sensors in the world can't make up for the real thing," Lois said getting out.

Kal-El did the only thing he could. He followed.

"It's actually kind of pretty, isn't it?" Lois asked, "it's like somebody sat down and planned a jungle filled with nothing but red and purple plants."

"Yeah, it's great. Can we go now?"

"You really are scared. I would just like to remind you that I didn't want you along in the first place."

"Is this the first time you've done something like this?"

"Heck, no! I've been breaking the rules and going off by myself for years. Sometimes they've had to use telepathic hounds to track me down. It's kind of weird. You can feel the dog reading and prying into your mind to find you."

"I'm glad Krypto isn't a telepathic hound. He's my dog."

"I figured. This is the first time I've been here. I wanted to do something really exciting on my day of birth."

"It's your day of birth? Congratulations. Most people just have a party, eat fish, and share a piece of wisdom they learned over the year."

"I did all that with my parents over the weekend."

"What was your wisdom?"

"Life stinks," she said with a smile.

"Are you serious?"

"Serious as the day of my death. I wonder where all the animals are?"

"Don't know. Don't care. Can you believe school is almost out? 4 weeks and we're done. Have you figured out what you're going to do yet?"

"I'm not fit to do anything. I'll have to continue to sponge off my parents."

"What about when you get married?"

"Be real, Kal-El. What parents would want their son married to an alien. I may not even be able to have kids and let's not forget that I would probably crush my husband in my sleep."

Kal-El didn't respond. He took a good look around him.

"Uh…Lois, I don't want to upset you but there's a couple of metal-eating moles dining on our Jor-El back there and you see all those red trees around us? They're moving toward us and they're going to flatten us.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Lois saw there was no escape. She closed her eyes, ready for the impact. 

It didn't come. Before she knew what was happening, she felt Kal-El's grip on her arms and they flew up into the air.

She opened her eyes and they were hovering above the jungle.

"What in the world just happened?" Lois asked.

"I have a jet pack built into my clothes. My father made it, so that I can lift heavy things and fly at a moment's notice. He thought it was one of those things that might come in handy and he was right. I wasn't completely sure it would work but it did."

"Thank goodness! For a second, I thought you could fly and had some sort of superhuman strength."

"That would be impossible. I can't hold you forever," he said, "do you see a safe place anywhere?"

"There's a safe patch without red trees over there. Do you think you can make it that far?"

"I'll have to," he said, his voice strained from the weight.

"Drop me if you have to."

"I'm not going to drop you! We'll live together or die together.

They made it over there with great effort and dropped to the ground. They sit down on a rock.

"Why do those trees have to migrate? Couldn't they just stay put?" Lois asked angrily.

"The trees can't feel or think. They only move in response to their environment."

"I was lucky you could pick me up. I look thin but my body wasn't made for this kind of gravity. The question now is how am I going to get out of here without my aunt's Jor-El?"

"What do you mean how are you going to get out of here? It's how are we going to get of here?"

"You have a jet pack. I guess you could go get help for me. I'll get caught and be in plenty of trouble but it's better than rotting out here."

"No. I'm not leaving you to the mercy of the jungle."

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a hero complex?"

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment. Any suggestions on how to get out of here, hero?"

"I suppose we could try praying to Rao."

"That is such a load of crap. The only real thing is science. Did you know at one time he was the sun god and chief of all the gods and because of that red-headed peolpe were in charge. It's ancient superstitions and nothing more."

"That's the old Rao. Nobody worships a sun god anymore. The Rao I'm talking about made the sun and science and is the only god."

"Oh yeah. I forgot that Jaf-El came up with this modern religion. He's your ancestor. Of course, your family would worship the new Rao."

"We're not the only family that worships Him and Jaf-El didn't come up with it. It was revealed to him by the one and only god. He was a prophet."

"Whatever. Pray to Him, if you want."

Kal-El did and they heard the sound of Jor-Els flying overhead.

"Wow! Maybe there is a Rao," she said looking up, "and then again maybe it's just a bunch of angry people."

There were 3 Jor-Els. In one was Kal-El's parents, in another was Lois's parents and aunt, and in the other was a couple of school officials.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

The room was solid white and the chairs, the only things the room contained, were white. It was meant to be intimidating. Kal-El and Lois were the only ones standing up. Lois' parents and aunt sat on the left side, Clark's parents sat on the right, the three school officials were in the front, and Kal-El and Lois were in the center.

"Lois Mas-La, this is not the first time you've been in here and it's not the first offense you've committed against there halls of learning," said the official in the middle.

"I know it."

"Explain yourself," he said.

"It's pure and simple. I don't like school. I'm suffering through the same junk I did last year and I don't see the point. I went to get some fun and real life experience. Nobody else had anything to do with this."

"Your aunt did not pretend to be your mother giving her permission?" he asked, looking over at her mother's twin, "Kal-El did not accompany you?"

"I take the full blame. Anything they may have done was at my persuasion."

"I'm just as guilty, if not more," Kal-El said.

"And I too," said her aunt.

"I like that you all are taking responsibility," the official said, "we have weighed this into the deciding your punishments. Mora Amb-Dol, for impersonating your sister, Tora Mas-La, you will do 12 hours of community service at the council building. There you will be able to see just how important the truth can be. Kal-El, for skipping school and knowing about the deceit taking place, we give you a warning. This is your first offense and may it be your last one but you will catch up on your school work by tomorrow. Lois Mas-La, for leaving school without parental permission and involving others in lies and danger, we have decided it best that you leave school on a permanent basis," Lois couldn't help but smile at this part, "but you will have a job. We have taken into account your mental abilities and alien background. You will file new information with their proper planets at The Hall of Worlds, a musuem.

They all left the room.  
---

Lois was sitting before a hologram. She was touching and dragging information to their places with her finger. She had been surprised to find she had her own office.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called.

"Hi, Lois."

"Kal-El? What are you doing here?"

"I haven't seen you in a whole week. I wanted to see how the new job was going."

"It's very boring but at least it's not manual labor."

"They wouldn't make you do that. Work like that is only for robots."

"I'm just lucky it's against the law for any sort of living creature to do manual labor. I'm sure they thought this simple task was too much for me."

"Have you learned anything interesting?" he asked, pulling a chair over and sitting beside her.

"I don't read it. I just look for key words that tell me which planet it goes with."

"Have you seen any information about Earth?"

"I only categorize new information. Earth was destroyed, so how can there be anything new?"

"Aren't you curious about your heritage? I'm sure, if you scroll through these maps of the universe and select Earth, there'll be information on it."

"I'm not interested. Krypton is my home, end of story."

"You're dying to know more about Earth, I can tell."

"Fine, Kal-El. I'll make a deal with you. We'll look up some stuff about and then you go home."

"Deal," he said.

"It looks like scientists only got strong enough telescopes and sound devices to start Earth studies, 5 years before its destruction. Read and enjoy!" she said, rolling her chair back from the hologram.

"They're not sure how the planet came into existence. There were a lot of theories floating around near the end."

"Like?"

"Well, it looks like they had their own Rao and get this it seems like He is identical to our new Rao. This Rao also created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. He sent His son to save the world."

"Didn't do a very good job."

"To save their souls, Lois. It looks like there was a newer and more popular theory toward the end."

"What was that?"

"Well, apparently they thought people evolved from the same kind of apes we have."

"You're making this up," she said rolling closer.

"No, it's right here. I still don't see how that explains where those first organisms came from. Rao makes more sense because He's a whole other being. However, Kryptonians are confused about their origins too but we don't come up with outlandish theories until we have all the evidence to back it up."

"Who cares about origins and history? Look and see how the world was destroyed and how I managed to escape."

"It says here that America, a nation on earth, discovered that the world was going to end from old age. They kept it a top government secret from their own people and the rest of the world. So apparently each nation had its own government instead of a one world government like Krypton. The person in charge of working on a way to escape the impending doom was a Sa-Sam-uel La-ne. That's hard to say! Kryptonese has more sounds and is a harder language but it's the only language we have on Krypton. Earth had 100s of languages. That must have been confusing. No wonder Earth was divided into those separate nations. Anyway, this man finally came up with a rocket that could leave Earth and travel billions of light-years with someone in it. The problem was that it was too late by then and it could only hold a small baby. He launched his daughter into space in hopes that some sort of alien life form would find her and care for her. Obviously, that baby was you."

"Obviously. Is that a picture of him?" she asked.

"Yep."

"He looks violent. Was he a scientist?"

"No, it says that he was some sort of military leader. They still had wars on this planet."

"What's that stick thing hanging out of his mouth?"

"Hold on and I'll look it up…it says it was a ci-ci-gar. They lit them up and inhaled the smoke from it."

"That's stupid. What did they get out of that?"

"It destroyed lungs and everybody knew it but apparently it was addicting once you started. Teenagers were their biggest market because it was a way of rebelling."

"That makes sense. If somebody told me not to do it, I'd do it."

Kal-El smiled and said, "Krypton saw the destruction coming but didn't have the technology to help them at that time."

"Okay. We've learned. Now leave."

"Wait, I had an ulterior motive for coming."

"Lois looked at him suspiciously. Was he going to admit that he only hung out with her because his father wanted to study her?

"Well, you know how our school is having the dance that's designed to meet and get to know your betrothed?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, Zara can't come because she's attending her sister's wedding and I was wondering if you would go in her place?"

"I hate to tell you this but I'm not allowed to go anywhere near the school and there's no way they would let me stand in place for your bride-to-be."

"But if they would, would you," he said with puppy dog eyes.

If she wanted to be truthful, the answer was no. Dances were not really her idea of fun but why tell him that? He looked pitiful and he had saved her life, so she said, "sure, Kal-El but they wouldn't."

He grinned a little too brightly and said, "then it's a date because they've given their permission."

He left and Lois stared after him. He had just tricked her. He was more devious then she had given him credit for. She was going to the dance whether she liked it or not.

She broke the hologram's on and off button that was on the desk by coming down too hard. It was because of all her extra gravity. She had been distracted and she knew the cost to fix it was coming out of her paycheck. Oh well, at least she had gotten a job no matter how bad it was.

TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

Kal-El was downstairs talking with his father.

"Are you any closer to fixing Lois' problem, Dad?"

"I've been doing a lot of research and I think if I could maybe alter her molecular structure, it would work. The whole problem is her body was made for a lesser gravity. I have a theory that if a Kryptonian had gone to live on her planet, he or she could fly because of the lesser gravity. The way they were able to fix her hearing and sight was to block her body from absorbing the red sun's energy. There isn't a way to block gravity, as far as I know. The only way left is to change her body's composition to resemble a Kryptonian's. I hesitate to put my theory into action because she is the only way I have to try it out other than clones. Clone's civil rights keeps me from trying it out on any clones that I could create from her, so what can I do? I don't know, Kal-El. I need more time and information. Why are you so dressed up?"

"I'm going to the dance tonight."

"That's right and you're taking Lois. When you went to see her, did you find out anything helpful?"

"Nothing we didn't already know from your research. She didn't feel any connection or much interest for Earth but it really wasn't a bad, little planet. She has images of Earth hidden in her subconscious. It's too bad nobody in art class knew it or she might have gotten a better grade. It wouldn't help with this problem though."

Kal-El went upstairs and was about to leave but his mom caught up with him.

"Honey, I want you to have fun but not too much fun. I know how you feel about Lois but you can't forget your duty to Zara. The school gave their permission because they don't think it's possible to be in love with an alien."

"I know, Mom. You can trust me," and he left.  
---

He was late and Lois was nervous. Had he stood her up?

Her parents had dropped her off at the restaurant across from the school, where they were supposed to meet. She had to get rides from her parents because she didn't have her airship anymore. She had been forced to give it to her aunt. However with her new found paycheck, she could buy her aunt a new Jor-El, eventually.

That's it! She was leaving. She stood up to go, when Kal-El walked through the door.

"I'm so sorry that I'm late. I lost track of time," he apologized.

She gave him an annoyed look but she sat back down.

"Have you ordered yet?" he asked.

"No."

"What would you like?"

"I can order for myself, thank you!"

The robot waitress asked them for their orders.

"I'll have scarlet mushroom, fish snake, and a glass of water," Kal-El said.

"I'll have what he's having but double the order."

The waitress left.

Kal-El stared at Lois until she said, "I need double the nutrients to match Earth nutrients."

The waitress brought their meals out immediately. On Krypton every restaurant was fast food. They ate their meal in silence.

"Are you going to finish the rest of that fish snake?" Lois asked.

"No, go ahead."

Lois began to eat it and said between bites, "it's funny to think that a fish snake could kill you with its poisonous bite but yet it's a common delicacy."

"Yeah," said Kal-El. He was paying more attention to how pretty she looked and how nice she looked eating.

"You're not the best conversationalist in the world, are you?" she said with a teasing smile, "it's a good thing we have the technology to stay in our weight range because with all the extra food I have to eat, I should have 500 pounds added to me. I wonder if the technology to keep people from aging will work on me. Sometimes Kryptonian technology works for me and sometimes it doesn't. I wouldn't really care if it didn't. The body's natural processes shouldn't be fooled around with too much. Beauty should be on the inside."

Kal-El snapped out of his daze and said, "I agree. The dance has already started. Are you ready to go now that you've finished?"

"Ready as I'll ever be"  
---

Lois looked around. The large room was fairly dark. The boys were in their tight outfits and dress capes. The girls were in their long, close-fitting dresses. Los smiled at how they nervous they all looked but she wasn't surprised. For most of them it was their first date with the people they knew they would marry and have kids with. If they wasn't the same ones that teased her, she'd almost feel a little sympathy for them.

She got a glass of punch and sat down in a chair. Classical Kryptonian music was playing. Kal-El sat down in a chair beside her.

"Did you want to dance?" he asked.

"Are you joking? I thought you knew that I couldn't move like that without causing a disaster."

He looked a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," she said, placing her hand gently on his knee, "I know you forget that I'm an alien with a disability but that's what makes you special. You only see me."

He looked down at her hand on his knee. It seemed to make him nervous. Even though she could touch people without fear of hurting them, if she were careful, it probably worried him. She took her hand off.

"Lois, since it's kind of silly to go to a dance and not be able to dance, did you want to go on a walk?"

She felt sorry for him. He must've been bored. It's too bad Zara wasn't able to come.

"Sure. Let's go," she told him.  
---

They were sitting on a park bench and gazing at the moon.

"I wonder what it would be like to see 4 moons in the night sky," Kal-El commented.

"I don't know. I kind of like one moon. It's more special that way. I can never remember what happened to the other 3."

"One of them was gone so long ago that they don't really know what happened to it. Another had people living on it and it drifted off and became its own little planet, Xenon. The other Jax-Ur, a scientist, destroyed and that's why he was banished to the Phantom Zone."

"How do you remember all those details? Have you decided on a career?"

"Not yet and I'm running out of time. I wish they would pick it out for you like they do everything else but researchers find it gets better results if they let a person pick a job out for themselves."

"I'm sure you'll do something great, Kal," she whispered softly.

He smiled and said, "no one had ever called me Kal before. It's nice."

Before she knew what was happening, he had enclosed her hand in his.

"Lois, I don't think I've ever told you this but you may have guessed that I love you. I love you more than I could ever love anyone else. You're so independent, smart, and beautiful. You're funny and you say what's on your mind. There are a million more things that I love about you."

Lois didn't know what to say. She had been suspicious of him until recently but then life had made her cynical about how people felt about her. She had learned to trust Kal-El and she knew he meant what he was saying. He was wonderful and she had never met anyone like him and she loved him back, so she said the only thing she could, "I love you too."

They drew closer together and just as their lips were about to touch, she pulled away.

It was wrong. Krypton didn't and wouldn't allow them to be together. They could be in serious trouble for breaking this rule in a Phantom Zone kind of way. A first kiss was for your arranged wedding day, by law.

"I'm sorry, Kal-El but we can never see each other again!"

She could feel his eyes on her, as she walked away but he didn't stop her.

TBC 


	8. Chapter 8

Lois was on the city sidewalk digging through her pocketbook. She was looking for the stick-like key to her Jor-El. It was a task that was hard to do with a moving sidewalk. At least people gave her plenty of personal space. If they didn't already know she was the famous alien from Earth, they figured it out when the area around her vibrated. Where was that key? 

She couldn't get out on the street to look, where vehicles were constantly being raised and lowered, so she walked into the nearest store, a music store. The music being played in the store was the music that had played at the dance.

It made her miss Kal-El even more. It was hard to believe the dance was only 3 weeks ago. It felt like an eternity. She had been very tempted to visit him after his graduation and see what career he had decided upon. However, she had resisted. It was mostly because Zara had met him and was hanging around him by now. Maybe they were even married. She could only handle so much.

She found the key to her Jor-El. She had gotten her first check 2 weeks ago. She had gotten a little nutty and went out and brought a bunch of things. One of these things was her very own apartment. It was a modest apartment or dumpy, depending on how you chose to look at it. She had gotten a new Jor-El for her aunt and a used Jor-El, with some gravity adjustments, for herself. Then there had been food, bills, and all those other necessities that added up. She was in the hole more than she intended to be but there would be other paychecks.

She folded her pocketbook back to its travel size, which was the size of a mint and put it in her pocket. She was thankful for shrinking technology. She couldn't imagine having to carry it around with her at normal size like they had in the old days.

She stepped back onto the sidewalk and just let it move her toward her Jor-El, while she took in her surroundings. The Hall of Worlds was getting further behind her. This was her favorite part of the day, when she left her work behind her.

She looked up at the screen tacked on the building in front of her. A pretty woman with pearly, white teeth was giving the forecast. She focused onto the booming sound that she had previously been ignoring.

"The Weather Bureau has decided on 75 degree weather with gentle breezes for today and tomorrow. Then they will release a violent but necessary storm after that. All buildings and people will be taken underground for 3 hours until the storm passes. However, look for nice weather today and tomorrow."

Lois sighed it was nice to have such good weather before the storm but what did it matter? Her life consisted of going to the Hall of Worlds and her apartment. It didn't matter to her what the weather was like. She was almost ready to step off to her Jor-El but then who should appear on the screen but Kal-El.

"Good evening, folks. I'm Kal-El. In breaking news today—"

She couldn't believe he went into journalism. She had been certain that he would follow his father's footsteps and become a scientist. He wasn't always an easy person to peg. As well as she had come to know him, he still managed to surprise her. She knew she should just stay away but when did she ever follow rules? Even the ones she had made like 'we can never see each other again.' She was going to pay him a visit and see how his life was going thus far.  
---

She stood outside the room where they were recording. Kal-El finally came out and got a surprised but happy look on his face at the sight of her.

"Here come into my private office and we can talk," he said.

He closed the door and hugged her.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" he exclaimed. "Did you decide to be friends with me?"

"Kal-El," she said, putting some distance between them, "you know we can never be just friends. Leaving that night was the right thing to do and we both knew it. That's why you let me leave."

"So why did you come back?"

"I just felt like there was no closure. I wanted to know how things were going for you."

He looked disappointed but he complied, "well, as you can see my career is in journalism and I do enjoy it."

"And Zara?" she asked with great effort.

"She's a nice enough girl. We haven't set a wedding date yet. She works in medicine. She vaccinates people and she's trying to find a way to cure green death. She's not you," he added.

"It was a mistake coming here. I should've known better but I couldn't stay away when I saw you on that screen," she said, as her eyes took on a wet appearance.

"There's no reason why we couldn't be friends," he said gently, stepping closer.

"We wouldn't be friends. We would be friends with benefits," she said with a smile.

"I won't tell if you don't," he said, as the space between them rapidly closed.

The phone rang and kept them from kissing. Lois backed away. Clark pressed a button and said, "hello." The phone's screen only had the picture of a lake.

-Meet me at Shrinkwater Lake and I'll give you the greatest story in history

The screen blanked out.

"Lois, I have to go."

"I'm going with you."

"It could be dangerous."

"More dangerous than the crime we almost committed?" She rolled her eyes and waved her Jor-El key. "I'm going. You can either ride with me or on your own."

He saw there was no point in arguing with her. "Okay, but I've driven with you before and I think I should be the one to drive."

She laughed and tossed him the key, "only this once."

They left to chase the story down.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you see anybody?" Lois asked. 

"No. Do you?" Kal-El replied.

"No. I think it was some sort of practical joke but we should give it 10 more minutes to be sure."

"I don't like being so close to Shrinkwater Lake. What if we fall in?"

"Then we shrink to the size of ants," she saw that he really did look nervous, "relax. We're at least 20 feet away from the water."

There was a tense silence, as 5 minutes passed by.

"Look, Lois. I think I see someone coming out of the trees."

"You're right. It looks like a man, a very ugly man."

As he got closer, they saw that he was green and looked like he had some sort of robotic suit. He was an alien. There was a bottle in his hand with very tiny objects in it.

"Who are you?" Kal-El asked.

"What's the big story?" Lois demanded.

"My name is Brainiac," he held the bottle up, "this is the story. I'm sure you all are familiar with the mysterious disappearance of Kandor, Krypton's capital. It happened before you all were born and Kryptonopolis, where you two live now, became the replacement capital."

"This is old news, buddy," Lois said with her arms folded.

"Patience, my dear, I'm not finished," he said with an evil grin.

"Are you saying that you know what happened to Kandor?" Kal-El asked.

Brainiac tossed the bottle in the air and caught it. He said, "Scientists on my planet like to observe people on other planets in our labs. I happen to be one of these scientists. We had this marvelous little shrinking ray that could shrink a whole city but unfortunately, it was destroyed and we haven't been able to make another. Even though you are an Earth woman, I don't suppose you ever heard of The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island? The people of Earth never did find out what happened to it much like Kryptonians never found out what happened to Kandor. A scientist of my planet shrunk the colony and took it. He left the word Croatoan to cast the blame away from aliens and onto Indians. It's too bad the colony didn't survive or you wouldn't be the last Earth person. However getting back on topic, I'm the one that took Kandor," he tossed and caught the bottle again, "and it's in here."

"Why would you reveal your crime to us?" Lois asked.

"I want to add to my collection. I figured an eager, young journalist would come rushing out here without taking proper precautions. You see, Kandor's population is beginning to dwindle and I plan on adding more people in one at a time using the water. I'm especially excited about adding an Earth person to the collection."

He stepped closer and they stepped back.

Kal-El whispered loudly, "run, Lois!"

"I can't. I have too much gravity," she said.

Kal-El moved in front of her and Brainiac knocked him to the ground with a Kryptonite blast that was part of his suit. Brainiac was getting ready to pick him up and throw him into the water. Lois lifted her foot to kick him. She couldn't do it very fast but Brainiac had his back to her and didn't see it coming. It was a very powerful kick due to all her added gravity and it threw him into the water. Kal-El got up and caught the bottle, as it fell from Brainiac's hand.

"Kal, are you okay?" Lois asked with worry.

"I'm fine. We better go see where he went."

They moved to the edge of the water and were just in time to see an ant-sized Brainiac making his way out of the water.

"Do you have anything we can put him in?" Kal-El asked, as he picked him up.

Lois took out her pocketbook and got out a tube of lipstick. She scooped the lipstick out and said, "here. It's got a crack in it for him to breath but it's not big enough for him to climb out. You can keep the bottle and lipstick tube safe and I'll drive. I can get us back a whole lot faster."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kal-El grimaced but he gave the key to her Jor-El back and they left.  
---

"And then we took Brainiac and the bottled city to the Supreme Council. They'll sentence him and try to figure out how to restore Kandor to its proper size," said Kal-El and Lois nodded to confirm it.

"That's great. I had no idea you'd make such a great investigative reporter, Kal-El," said his boss. He had light brown hair and was around 60 but looked more like 20 because of anti-aging technology. "I'm going to remove you from delivering the news and put you into investigating."

"Thank you, sir but I couldn't have done it without Lois. We make a great team," he said, giving her a smile.

"Wonderful. Then you're partners. I want the two of you to get some thought-discs and copy your memories of it for the 6:00 news. I also need you to write your entries into the Kryptonaid, the Kryptonian history book, for future references."

"Excuse me but I don't work here," Lois said.

"You do now. Unless you don't want to?" he asked gruffly.

"I wouldn't mind it at all but don't you have to spend 3 days downloading professional information into your head for this kind of career? My alien brain can't handle it."

"I offered you a job. You have a natural talent for this field with or without the 3 days. Now do you want it or not?"

"I want it."

"Then get busy," and he stormed out of Kal-El's office or Kal-El and Lois's office, since they had become partners.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Kal-El and Lois were sitting beside each other in their office and looking at a holographic map of Krypton.

"Rainbow Canyon is here," said Kal-El, "and Meteor Valley is here. I think it's more likely that the criminal is hiding out in Meteor Valley since it's closer to the scene of the crime."

"Yeah.," she said and she placed her hand on her head.

"Should we tell the council our theory or check it out ourselves?"

Lois squinted at him and seemed a little disoriented.

"Are you feeling okay, Lois?" Kal-El asked with concern.

"Why wouldn't I? This Doz guy stole a valuable Kryptonian artifact. Are we positive? Kryptonian criminals are rare. Sometimes the invisible race of people that Raf Arlo discovered are behind it."

"There were witnesses. You look like you're in pain."

"It's nothing. I've just been getting a lot of headaches lately."

"What are headaches?" he asked.

"This stabbing pain on the inside of my head."

"Ouch. Have you went to see a doctor?"

"Yeah right. I hate doctors. If they can't figure out what's wrong with you, they bring in scientists. I'm perfectly fine." 

Kal-El looked a little doubtful but he didn't push the subject. Lois went back over to her desk.

"I guess we should check out Meteor Valley," she said, as she took out her key.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Kal-El said.

It was Zara and her bodyguard, Ching. Zara's family was wealthy and it made her father paranoid about ransoms and such. Therefore, he made sure every family member had a bodyguard.

"Zara and Ching, I'm glad to see you two. The 4 of us need to sit down and have a talk," Kal-El said.

"I can guess what this is about. It's about our arranged marriage, right?" Zara asked.

Kal-El nodded. "It's no secret between us that I'm in love with Lois and you're in love with Ching. The question is what are we going to do about it?"

"We have to do our duty despite our personal feelings," Ching simply stated.

"He's right." Lois said. "Most of the time, I'm all about breaking rules for a good cause but this kind of rule-breaking means to sacrifice our lives."

"What are our lives worth if we're not happy and with the ones we love?" Kal-El asked. "I'm not talking about an open defiance. I think we should have secret weddings. You and Ching are not betrothed to anybody, so the whole problem is with Zara and me. We could go through the motions of an arranged marriage but it wouldn't be real because we would already be married."

The 3 of them stared at Kal-El like he had gone off the deep end.

"Yeah and I would probably be the one to get us sentenced and caught," Lois said.

"What do you mean?" Kal-El said in confusion.

"If Zara gets pregnant, it's no big deal. They'll assume you're the father. If I get pregnant without a husband…"

Realization dawned on Kal-El's face, causing Lois to smile. He was so naïve sometimes. It was one of the things she loved about him.

"I'm an alien so that might not be an issue but it wouldn't be a good idea to take that kind of chance."

The 4 of them were lost in thought for a while.

Lois broke the silence with, "Kal-El and I have a story to chase down."

She stood up and looked a little unsteady. She fell to the floor unconscious, causing the room to shake.  
---

Kal-El, Zara, and Ching were in the waiting room of the hospital.

"I don't understand what could be wrong with her." said Kal-El in a distressed manner.

Zara gave him a sympathetic smile.

The doctor came out and he didn't look like he had good news.

"Your friend has regained consciousness but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for her. She has something Earth people called a brain tumor. It's a growth in her brain that will eventually be fatal. Kryptonians have reached a physical perfection and other than injuries, which can be healed most of the time, green death, and old age, we're not prepared for anything else. By the time we figure out how to cure it, it will be too late and there's no one else to benefit from the discovery."

Kal-El had tears rolling down from his eyes. "Can I see her?" he asked.

The doctor nodded.  
---

Lois looked small and helpless, as she lay on the bed. She gave him a weak smile.

"How do you feel?" he asked her through his tears.

"As well as can be expected," she replied, "and don't cry or you'll get me crying."

He smiled and dried his eyes the best he could. He pulled a chair next to the bed and took her by the hand.

"I guess I'll have to call my parents and tell them the news."

"No!" Kal-El shouted rather suddenly. "I'm not going to let you die."

"I don't think I have a choice, Kal and anyway aren't you the one who believes in the whole life after death? I guess now is as good a time as any to get in touch with my spiritual side."

"You should. Rao will take care of you no matter what happens but I'm hoping that He will help me find a way to save you. I know He will!"

He kissed her on the forehead before running out the door. She placed her hand on the spot where he had kissed her. The kiss wasn't illegal. She got similar kisses from her relatives but it made her feel like she was floating when Kal-El did it. She smiled. Kal-El was crazy. Crazy enough that he might find a cure but she wasn't going to get her hopes up.

TBC 


	11. Chapter 11

It wasn't until Kal-El got to his parents house that he remembered they had gone on vacation. They had gone to see the geysers called the 3 sisters of Krypton because they shot forth water at the exact same time. They wouldn't be back for a week and by then it would be too late. He had been hoping his father could help. His dad had invented spaceships for interspace travel, he had solved the starvation problem by making vegetables to grow to enormous sizes, and he had invented Jor-Els. He was probably the greatest scientist in the world but he wouldn't be able to save the woman his son loved.

How could someone get rid of a brain tumor without opening the person up and taking it out. That seemed like a dangerous, risky thing to do. If Earth had had a way to fix it, it wouldn't help now. It had to be done with something on Krypton and there was nothing.

His vision became distorted with the tears that filled his eyes. He began to walk back to the hospital. When he got halfway there, he realized that he couldn't go back to the hospital. He couldn't face telling her that she was going to die after all and then sit there and watch as it happened.

He was near the zoo and for some reason he knew that he just had to see the animals. It might take his mind off things for a little while.

The first cage he came to had ballonies in it. They were creatures that looked like frogs. If something dangerous came into their path, they would blow up like a balloon and float upward. They were fun to watch. He saw snagriffs, a creature that looked like a winged dinosaur, and flame beasts, a name that comes from their appearance of being on fire. It was all interesting. He particularly liked the Thought-beast. They had something that looked like a screen above their heads and pictures of what they were thinking appeared on it. It wasn't impressive, complicated thinking about the meaning of life or something. It had pictures of food mostly.

He had finally worked up his courage enough to face Lois but then he spotted a rondor. The beast looked very gentle but he had a horn. He got closer. It seemed too gentle for the horn to be used for violence but then what was it used for? Rarely were things there for decoration. Everything had a purpose. He read more about the description of the animal and became very exited. In ancient times before science had been able to cure practically everything, a rondor's horn had been able to cure any kind of disease by the waves it emits.

He found the animal's caretaker and asked him questions.

"Are you sure the horn could cure anything? Why don't people still use it?"

"If you're looking for it to cure green death, it won't work. Green death is caused by radiation from the beneath Krypton's surface. It's not a disease to be cured. It doesn't help with physical injuries and doctors have healing rays for that anyway. As for why people don't still use them, rondors are so rare and only cure a limited number of times before it has to recharge. There is a vaccine for anything it could cure, so it has outlived its usefulness to people."

"Do you think it could cure a disease from another plant? Something like a growth on the brain?"

"Maybe."

Kal-EL didn't need to hear anything else. He took off to the hospital as fast as his legs could carry him. He told the doctor of his discovery and the doctor said there was no reason why she couldn't leave the hospital. She needed to have someone to hold onto her in case she lost consciousness again. So Kal-El took Lois to the zoo.

"Kal, is there any particular reason why we came to the zoo?"

"There's a reason but I don't want to tell you unless it works."

"Okay. I just want you to know if this is an attempt to cheer me up, I'm not a huge animal lover."

He just smiled.

They went into the rondor's cage.

"What in the world are we doing?" Lois asked.

"Getting a closer look at the rondor."

"They let you do this?"

"I've gotten their permission."

Lois looked at him like he'd flipped his lid, as they got up in the rondor's face.

"That's weird," she remarked.

"What?" Kal-El asked unable to hide his hopeful excitement.

"My headache's gone."

He hugs her and says, "it worked! The rondor's horn cured your tumor!"

They went back to the hospital, so the doctor could give her an examination to be sure.

As they walked up in front of the hospital, Lois said, "I feel a 100 percent better. You really don't have to keep holding onto me."

"Better safe than sorry. Besides, it gives me an excuse to hold you."

She smiles at that and then goes to get examined.

"Kal-El?" Zara says coming into the lobby with Ching.

"What?"

"We have a serious problem. We need to talk"  
---

Lois was fixing her hair when Kal-El, Zara, and Ching came into the examination room.

"Guess what?" Lois said happily, "the tumor's definitely gone."

Kal-El gave a forced smile and said, "that's great news. I knew it would be."

"What's wrong?" asked Lois picking up on the group's gloom.

"The council passed a new law that goes into effect immediately," Zara said.

"So?" Lois asked.

"It says that if a betrothed couple has had stable jobs for 3 months or more, they have to get married immediately and we've had our jobs for 4 months. Zara and I have to get married right away," Kal-El said.

Lois sighed but she wasn't surprised. She knew Kal-El and Zara would have to get married sooner or later. She had just gotten good news, so it was only natural something would come along to spoil it. Her life had never yet failed to work that way.

TBC 


	12. Chapter 12

Lois stood in the entrance of the Palace of Marriage. She was beginning to think coming to Kal-El and Zara's wedding was a bad idea. As she walked further down the hall and got near the door, she saw the statues of Kal-El's parents on one side and the statues of Zara's parents on the other. It was a symbol that the two families were coming together as one. It made it all real to Lois for the first time.

She gently placed herself against the wall and sank to the ground. She was embarrassed at the hot tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She desperately hoped that no one else came through the door for a while. She was early.

If only Kal-El didn't return her feelings, it would be so much easier tot get over. They had thought of all they could to stop or postpone the wedding but nothing seemed within the realm of possibilities. Kryptonians liked their rules and traditions. They wouldn't tolerate them being broken.

She had forced herself to come to the wedding not to torture herself or make the wedding more difficult but to close this chapter in her life. She was going to see Kal-El every day at work, so she needed a reminder that nothing could ever happen between them.

She dried her eyes and went to find a seat. She carefully sat down on one of the benches, hoping it would support her extra gravity. There were more people already here than what she thought there would be. She saw a man approaching her. She recognized him from the statue outside. It was Kal-El's father. She found it difficult to breath when she saw him sitting down beside her. Could he see through her? Was it written all over her face that she was in love with his son?

"You must be Lois. I'm a great admirer of the work you and my son do together," said Jor-El.

Lois let out a sigh of relief and replied, "thank you."

"It's amazing to me how you two have to constantly prove yourself in your career and with me it's one great discovery and I'm set for life."

"If you love the work you do, you can face the challenges it brings."

"I suppose so. I have a quick question for you and I hope you won't be offended. Are there any kinds of metals you are allergic to?"

"I don't think so."

Jor-El thanked her for her time and went back to his seat. He was a genius. It must've given him quirks but he seemed nice enough. If he ever did want to study her, it would only be because he wanted to help and not for the fame and glory.

There was another statue she recognized. Zara's mother was approaching her now.

"Lois?"

"Yeah?"

"My daughter would like to see you in her dressing room."

Lois followed Zara's mother to the room and then she was left alone with Zara.

"I'm glad you've come to the wedding," said Zara, "I saw your Jor-El parked out front. It means a lot to me and Kal-El to have your support in something that's not easy on any of us."

"Kal-El knows I'm here?"

"Not yet."

"I'd like to keep it that way. Is Ching here?"

"My father didn't think I needed a bodyguard now that I'm getting married and leaving the family."

Lois nodded in a sympathetic way and left.

As Lois was walking back, she spotted Kal-El walking up ahead and she ducked behind a flower pot until he was out of sight. She didn't want to make the day harder than it had to be.

Lois sat from her bench, watching the ceremony take place. Kal-El, Zara, and the man performing the wedding were all standing in their places on the Jewel of Truth and Honor. It was a symbol that their marriage would stand on truth and honor. The jewel was the size of a small stage and raised slightly above the benches. Why did Kal-El have to look so darn attractive up there but even if he was the ugliest man in the world, Lois would still be thinking the same thing. It just wasn't fair. 

"Kryptonians bear witness to this eternal union between Kal-El and Zara. It will not be broken. The couple has requested the short vows. Zara, will you willingly be bonded to Kal-El forever more?"

"Yes."

Lois tightly clenched her fists. It was halfway over.

"Kal-El, will you willingly be bonded to Zara forever more?"

Kal-El didn't answer and a tense silence fell on the room.

He turned around to face the wedding guests and said, "I can't marry someone I don't love."

Lois heard gasps and cries. She looked at Kal-El's parents. Oddly enough they looked a little sad but mostly proud of their son. Zara's parents were another story. Her mother had fainted and her father looked very angry, as he tried to revive his wife. What was Kal doing?

His eyes locked onto her's. She tried to send him looks and thought-waves that said, 'turn around you moron and get married' but she couldn't. The longer she looked at him the more she felt that he had done the right thing. Sometimes you had to follow your heart over your head even if that meant a one way ticket to the Phantom Zone.

"I love you," Kal mouthed.

"I love you too," Lois mouthed back.

They were definitely in hot water.

TBC 


	13. Chapter 13

Their case was up next.

"Kal, explain to me why you don't look nervous," Lois said.

"I know we're in the right no matter what the sentence is."

Lois still didn't know how he could be so confident. At least Zara and Ching hadn't been dragged into this. They didn't rebel against the marriage and publicly express their feelings. She peeked into the courtroom. The Supreme Council was made up of 5 men and women. Then there was the Council of 5, who were made up of scientists. Jor-El served on this council but though this council was influential, the Supreme Council ultimately made the decision and punishment. Lois sat back beside Kal-El.

Kal-El put his arm around her and told her to relax.

"We could be going to the Phantom Zone," she said. "I liked their old method of punishment better. They put you in suspended animation and when you served your time, you were treated to remove your criminal tendencies and then they released you back into society. Then they had to discover the Phantom Zone and no one has ever been known to escape it. It's only a step above hell. It's dark, lonely, and torturous. I know Kryptonians don't believe in capital punishment but there are some things worse than death."

"You know what makes hell worse than the Phantom Zone? The absence of Rao or God, as He was called on your planet. This council may unjustly sentence us but Rao won't. There is life after the Phantom Zone. Only hell is eternal."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

He hugged her and they heard, "Case # 4,083, Kal-El and Lois Mas-La vs. Kryptonian marriage laws."

Kal-El and Lois went to stand in the center of the room.

"State your case," said the Head of the Supreme Council.

"I believe," said Kal-El, "that man and woman were made for each other and not for political or even society's purposes. The main purpose for a man and woman to come together is to give each other company. What good is that company if the man and woman don't love each other? I'm not completely rejecting Kryptonian marriage laws. I think once a man and woman come together, they should stay that way in most cases. Especially if they chose each other in the first place. Their union brings children, making it even more important that they stay together and provide two stable and loving parents. Marriage should involve the decision of two people and no one else. All people have this instinct deep down and that's why you all felt the need to push people into a marriage sooner."

"Is that all you have to say?" asked the stone-faced Head of Council. "Do you have anything to add, Lois?"

"He summed it up nicely," Lois said, "but I do want to say that our love would have to be pretty strong to defy laws, backgrounds, and fear of punishment. Love is more powerful than anything. Maybe that's why it says Rao is love."

The councils whispered together for what seemed like the longest time.

At last, the Head said, "we have decided the laws will not change. Parents will still arrange marriages. It has been proven that in most cases the marriages turn out successful and happy. However, we have given special consideration to your case and have decided to make a new law. If the couple decides after getting to know each other that they cannot have a successful or happy marriage, they will be released from their contract and free to marry another."

Kal-El and Lois hugged each other. They were not going to be punished and they could get married.  
---

Lois surveyed herself in her wedding dress, as she stood in front of the mirror.

"You look beautiful, dear," her mother said.

"I'm no Lyla Lerrol, the movie actress, but I don't look half bad. Mom, I'm nervous. My alien heritage is going to cause so many problems. There's the gravity issue and then there's the question of if I'll even be able to have kids. What if my marriage fails?"

"You love each other and that's more than most couples have entering a marriage. You can face any problem. Zara and Ching are doing well and their marriage wasn't arranged. Love can overcome anything. Your dad and I are so proud of you. You have a wonderful job and you're about to have a wonderful husband. We always knew you were special but you have exceeded our expectations," her mom said, as she hugged her.

Lois asked, "Have you seen the wedding jewelry we chose?"

"No. What do they look like?"

"We decided on rings instead of bracelets because that's what they used where I was from. Gold was rare there and that's what they used to make the rings. We thought it would be a nice gesture to my origins, if we had gold rings too. We added some expensive jewels so it didn't look like we grabbed a rock and put a hole in it. Each Kryptonian couple has their own matching, unique rings or bracelets that no other couple can copy but I don't think Kal and I have to worry about being copied."

"Probably not. Your jewels aren't made from Jewel Mountain, are they? It's bad luck to wear them on your wedding day. The jewels are made from the crystalline skeletons of ancient, extinct animals. Therefore, it's a symbol of bringing death to the marriage."

"No, Mom. They're not from Jewel Mountain. I don't believe in superstitions anyway. My favorite ones are if you see a comet, you have to hide in a cave for 24 hours or die and if a criminal draws the mythical one-eyed grumpy, the Kryptonian demons bring them good luck. You have to wonder who came up with these things and why?"

There was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Lois' mother asked.

"Pardon me, ma'am but I was wondering if I could speak with my future daughter-in-law in private. I have a gift for her," Jor-El said.

After Lois' mom left, Jor-El presented Lois with a small box. Lois opened it and it was a bracelet.

"It's beautiful, Jor-El. Thank you."

"You're welcome but it's no ordinary bracelet. Try it on."

Lois put it on her wrist and instantly felt as like a heavy suit of armor had been lifted off her body.

Jor-El smiled at her surprised reaction and said, "I was determined to find a way to fix your problem. I've been working on it for months and I finally did it. It puts out a very small anti-gravity force field, so now you're a normal weight."

Lois hugged him and said again, "Thank you."

"I want you to listen closely to what I'm going to say. One day you're going to realize just how real all of this was and I want you to share it with my son, Kal-El. Lara and I are so glad and proud that you will be our daughter-in-law. You are good for him. I know that if Kal-El were the alien on your planet, you would be the one woman who could fully love and accept an alien as a husband. The reverse is holding true. Kal-El loves and fully accepts you as the alien. I hope you see that I am not cruel and unfeeling. One day you will find all that's left of me is information and memories but that doesn't mean I didn't love. If I seem harsh and controlling, remember it's not me doing it. My soul, the real me, will be with Rao, so do not be confused by what is left of me. I wish I could communicate this to my son but I'm afraid he wouldn't listen. He will listen if it comes from you. He could have been just as happy and loved by his parents on Krypton but it just wasn't meant to be. All planets come to an end. Love slows things down. Don't ever let science become your god. It's tempting to become wrapped up the world and in only what you can see but something greater lies beyond it all. Remember that, Lois."

"Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine. I wish you well on your wedding day."

"Thank you. You've lightened my load. Literally."

Jor-El laughed and left.

---

Kal-El and Lois were standing under the Cosmic Clock. They had decided against having their wedding at the Palace of Marriage. They didn't want to bring back bad memories. The Cosmic Clock counted the years Krypton had existed. It was at 10,000 years. Kal said their love was going to last much longer and Lois agreed. After the wedding, they would have their honeymoon in the floating city.

"Kryptonians bear witness to this eternal union between Kal-El and Lois. It will not be broken. The couple has requested to do their own vows."

"Kal-El, I cannot even begin to tell you just how much I love you. It wasn't love at first sight or even second sight. I guess a lot of it had to do with the way life treated me but you didn't give up on me. You stayed with me no matter how much rejection and insults I threw at you and I slowly began to realize how special you are. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I was never able to understand why someone would want to be a wife because that means forever but now I do."

"Lois, I loved you from the beginning. Not only because you were the prettiest girl I had ever seen but because I saw so much strength of character in you. However, as much as I loved you then, I love you so much more now. I think my love for you grows on a daily basis and I love you so infinitely much that I don't know how that's possible. I'm the luckiest man alive because I'm going to be your husband."

"You are now husband and wife. May Rao bless your union."

Kal-El and Lois had their first kiss and it was worth the wait.

TBC


	14. Lois?

"Lois?"

Was that Kal-El waking her out of her peaceful slumber?

"Lois?"

It was a woman's voice.

"Lois?"

Lois' eyes finally opened. She had fallen asleep at her desk.

"Sweetheart, when you fall asleep on the job that's a sign that you've been working too much overtime."

Lois's eyes focused onto Martha Kent. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Kent. I don't remember falling asleep. I had one of my nightmares."

"About the guy with the red cape?" asked Martha with a smile.

"No. It was similar though. It felt too real like a premonition."

Lois wasn't going to tell her that this super man and Kal-El, the alien, bore a creepy resemblance to her son, Clark Kent. She was having fantasies about the boss' son.

"For a nightmare, you looked pretty happy," Martha remarked.

"That's what makes it scary. Do you believe you can dream about your future husband?"

"I've heard that if you take home a slice of wedding cake and put it under your pillow, you dream about your spouse-to-be but it's just an old superstition."

"Yeah and there's no cake near here."

"Are you awake enough to drive home?"

"I'm fine. I've done put that dream out of my mind"  
---

The knocking wouldn't stop.

"I'm coming," Chloe called.

Clark was at the door.

"This better be good, Clark. It's very late."

"It's about Jor-El. Can I come in?"

Chloe gestured him to the couch.

"I learned that he can give people dreams, when I was talking to him tonight."

"Is that all?"

"No. He gave one to my soul mate."

"Soul mate?"

"You know my future wife. Apparently, he knows who she will be because of some forces that have already been set in motion."

Chloe looked a little confused because she was still waking up and the whole thing was strange.

"He gave her a dream about what I become in the future and about Krypton. It's supposed to help mentally prepare her."

"Is that bad?"

"Yes, it's bad. There's a woman walking around that knows all my secrets."

"Does she know that she knows your secrets? I don't know many people who take their dreams seriously. Furthermore, if the two of you end up together, I doubt she goes around blabbing deep, dark secrets."

"You're right. It's a good thing Lois isn't my soul mate," he said with a smile.

"You don't give her enough credit. She likes to run her mouth but she would never tell a secret even under torture. In fact, she told me one time that if she did know someone's secret, someone that she cared about, she would wait until they opened up to her."

"She said that?"

"She's one of the most trustworthy people I know unless there's a good reason to expose someone."

"Lois has a lot of good, hidden qualities, doesn't she? Maybe I should start paying more attention to her."

Chloe smiled and pushed Clark toward the door. "I'm glad you've figured that out but I like to sleep every now and then."

"Maybe I should introduce myself as Kal-El to every woman I meet and see who knows that name. That would be stupid and dangerous, wouldn't it?"

"Good night and sweet dreams, Clark"

"Good night."

The End 


End file.
